With the recent conclusion of the Euro and Copa America, Boulder Dee's well known blog has released their 2022 World Cup Fighting Power Rankings. They predicted CONCACAF champions Argentina in fourth place, while Europa League winners Italy followed in fifth. However, according to the FIFA National Team Rankings, Italy is ranked seventh, while Argentina is in eighth place.
The Copa America victory took a lot of pressure off Messi, who was well on his way to lifting the World Series trophy.The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will perhaps be the perfect time for Messi to lead Argentina to a World Cup title, and their last chance.
Although Argentina's offense and defense, goalkeeper and backline force has been improved, but Messi and Di Maria's physical fitness is increasingly showing insufficient to support the whole field of power is slightly thin. In addition, Argentina's lack of stable personnel in the Super League to support the front, Messi often had to pull back to get the ball, which also made the second half of the physical decline gradually.
In an interview with Argentina's Ole newspaper, former national soccer coach Milo said he thinks Lionel Messi is capable of leading Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Milo admitted that Messi still has a chance to win the title. If the likes of Messi and Di Maria can maintain their status quo, their chances of winning will increase significantly.
In goal, Argentina's Miriano Martinez hit the ground running, winning the Copa America Golden Gloves, the first time an Argentine goalkeeper has won this Copa America honor.
At the back, Cristian Romero and Otamendi partnered the center backs, with Tagliafico and Montiel manning the left and right flanks respectively. Although Argentina's backline has been controversial, Otamendi has a lot of experience, Romero is cautious on the ball, and the young Montiel is full of energy.
In midfield, Argentina's biggest discovery of the Copa America was De Paul, who possesses excellent long passes and vision, and it was his 50-meter pass that helped Di Maria break through the Brazilian goal. Paredes and Lo Celso are not superstars, but still deserve praise for their defensive aggressiveness and vision.
Up front, Lautaro Martinez is a force to be reckoned with as a member of the World Milan, and is the second highest scorer outside of Lionel Messi. In addition, there is still a lot of room to develop the rotation and use of Messi, Di Maria and Dybala in the midfield.
Although Argentina is strong enough to challenge for the World Cup, instead of fantasizing that Messi can win the title, we should cherish the wonderful matches that Argentina under Messi's leadership has brought us. The legend will eventually come to an end, and Messi's matches are getting fewer and fewer. Instead of being full of expectations, we should adjust our mindset and look at it rationally.
